Here's a Tender Tune From KFC

Frank Watkinson puts a laid-back spin on The Cranberries' 'Linger'

Frank Watkinson wasn’t invited to play at Taylor Swift’s wedding this past weekend. But the YouTube acoustic balladeer with millions of views does perform in a new KFC U.K. and Ireland campaign. Who needs Madison Square Garden?

With lush red curtains for a backdrop, he waxes soulful—incredibly so. Perfect for a mildly ironic (and presumably shareable) pop-culture tie-in hyping the eatery’s new Tenders & Dips range.

So … encore?

Here, ECDs Derek Man Lui and Tomas Coleman of Mother London, who helped the develop the very minimalist approach, explain the strategy:

MUSE: You’ve made waves for KFC with loud scenarios and enormous eggs. Now we get some quiet quirkiness. What’s with that?

Derek & Thomas: We’re always looking for ways to cut through the noise, and we’ll use whatever tool or tone the idea calls for. Sometimes that’s gravy lakes and giant eggs. Sometimes it’s an acoustic ballad. The constant is that it’s always rooted in what we believe: an obsession with chicken.

Of all the crooners on social, why’d you cast this dude?

We stumbled across one of Frank’s covers—“Snuff” by Slipknot—and couldn’t stop watching. Then we watched another. And another. He has this really disarming presence. You completely believe every word he’s singing. There’s a real depth to him that felt perfect for what we were trying to do.

Why use “Linger” for the advert?

We went through hundreds of songs. The right one had to feel instantly familiar and already woven into British culture. We kept coming back to “Linger.” There’s something incredibly transportive about it. It pulls you in, and for a few minutes, whatever’s been weighing on you just disappears.

Who’s the target? What’s their brand takeaway?

Honestly, it’s for anyone who needs it. Rather than telling people how tender our chicken is, we wanted them to actually feel tenderness. If people associate that feeling with KFC, we’ve done our job.

Any tales from the shoot?

As huge fans of The Blaze, it was a real pleasure collaborating with Jonathan Alric. He created an atmosphere where Frank felt comfortable enough to just pour his heart out. We experimented with different edits and coverage, but the more we stripped it back, the more powerful it became. In the end, one uninterrupted take felt like the purest way to let the performance do the work.

CREDITS

Brand: KFC UK&I
Creative agency: Mother
Production Company: Iconoclast
Director: Jonathan Alric
Producer: Jane Lloyd
Post Production: Time Based Arts
Colourist: Simone Grattarola
Post Producer: Jo Gutteridge
Sound Design: King Lear
Sound Engineer: Jack Segdgwick
Sound Producer: Matthew Steven
Music Company: Mr Pape